USGS data sheds light on earthquake felt in San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, Texas ( Concho Valley Homepage ) — On the night of July 22, an earthquake shook Hermleigh, Texas, generating enough seismic activity for San Angelo residents to report feeling it. Here’s what data collected by the United States Geological Survey says happened.

According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred at approximately 10:38 a.m. 17 kilometers northeast of Hermleigh, a small community located southeast of Snyder and northwest of Sweetwater, at a depth of 7.7 kilometers. The earthquake clocked in at a magnitude of 4.9.

While earthquakes will have differing results on a case-by-case basis, their severity can be measured based on their recorded magnitude. Michigan Tech University’s earthquake magnitude scale describes the effects of a 4.9 magnitude earthquake as “often felt, but only causes minor damage,” adding that approximately 500,000 earthquakes ranging from 2.5 to 5.4 in magnitude happen each year.

The USGS’ impact summary stated that the earthquake was a “green alert,” meaning that there was a “low likelihood of casualties and damage.” The summary also stated that the population in the impacted region “resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking,” with the primary form of vulnerable structures being comprised of “unreinforced brick masonry and reinforced masonry construction.”

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